The latest forecasts from Fastmarkets' team of analysts are ready to view.The recent decline in Chinese scrap prices - to their lowest in a couple of years - even as demand rises, suggests that Chinese scrap supply is increasingly sufficient. In terms of scrap demand, the question is more about price attractiveness. Mini-mills were reducing demand in February, largely because steel margins on scra...Read More
The latest forecasts from Fastmarkets' team of analysts are ready to view.While downward pressure mounts on the steelmaking raw material markets, premiums for higher-grade iron ores have been sustained despite narrowing operating margins at Chinese steelmakers. Chinese mills are operating with shrinking margins since the end of last year but the premium for high-grade ores remains high. Historical...Read More
The latest forecasts from Fastmarkets' team of analysts is ready to view.Stainless steel prices have fared relatively well over the past couple of months in the face of the threat from the Covid-19 pandemic.In grade-304 material, the most common grade of stainless steel, prices were down by about 5-7% since the turn of the year - not bad, when compared with the falls in prices of other assets so f...Read More
The latest forecasts from Fastmarkets' team of analysts are ready to view.Having first hit Asia during early 2020, the Covid-19 viral outbreak is now having an even bigger impact on European countries and the US. Widespread lockdown measures have been put in place on people and industry, and economic activity has slowed markedly.For now, stainless steel markets in Europe and the US are yet to show...Read More
The new issue of the Seamless OCTG & Linepipe Market Tracker is now online at metalbulletinresearch.com.In this edition, Fastmarkets' research team delivers analysis of seamless OCTG and linepipe across international markets:Covid-19 underscores pipe outlookUnsurprisingly, the concern in the seamless pipe markets across the regions is the effect of the spread of Covid-19 on public health and econo...Read More
Three-month prices for base metals on the London Metal Exchange, except aluminium, closed in negative territory after trading on Wednesday May 27, with futures prices capped by risk-off sentiment created by reignited tensions between the United States and China.Tensions have flared between the two countries over China's proposals for new security laws in Hong Kong, pointing to a further deteriorat...Read More
Prices for hollow steel sections in Europe slipped further this week with lower import prices adding pressure to the weak domestic market, sources told Fastmarkets on Wednesday May 27.Fastmarkets' weekly price assessment for steel sections (medium), domestic, delivered Northern Europe was ?,?550-570 ($603-625) per tonne on Wednesday, down from ?,?560-580 per tonne one week previous."Demand is the...Read More
Fastmarkets has corrected its daily assessments for the nickel arbitrage, in the base metals arbitrage SHFE versus LME calculation, which were published incorrectly on Tuesday May 26 due to an input error.The assessment for the nickel import arbitrage $/tonne was wrongly published as -$188.49 per tonne on May 26 and should have been $194.25 per tonne.The assessment for the ...Read More
Alvance Aluminium Group, GFG alliance's global aluminium division, named Guillaume de Go??s its new chief operating officer Wednesday May 27.De Go??s was formerly the managing director of Aluminium Dunkerque, Europe's largest smelter with caapcity of 280,000 tonnes per year. He also held senior posts at Rio Tinto Alcan, Carbone Savoie and Michelin."He was there at the genesis of our business and h...Read More
The latest forecasts from Fastmarkets' team of analysts are ready to view.Aluminium: Technical reboundAluminium prices are rising as expected but this is merely a technical correction for now, one that is driven by short-covering. Huge oversupply of aluminium this year and next, growing geopolitical tensions and the uncertain macro-economic outlook do not give us confidence that a price rally is s...Read More
The Antamina copper and zinc mine in Peru has resumed operations following its shutdown due to the Covid-19 pandemic, shareholder Teck Resources said.The Vancouver, Canada-based miner, which has a 22.5% stake in Antamina, said that a reduced operating workforce had been mobilized with plans to start off at roughly 80% of full capacity after operations at Antamina were suspended last month to...Read More
Nickel premiums in the United States and China dipped in the week to Tuesday May 26 while trade moved lower and premiums in Europe maintained their already-low levels, Fastmarkets was told.Lower offers drive US nickel briquette premiums downLack of arbitrage opportunity in China facilitates trade at lower levelsEuropean market stable despite optimism for forward nickel demand in the regionChina pr...Read More
Global zinc and lead premiums were stable in the week to Tuesday May 26, with increased spot inquiries for lead amid battery producer Exide's bankruptcy failing to translate to higher United States premiums, while demand for zinc in all regions remained lackluster.Battery producer Exide Technologies bankruptcy filing stimulates US lead spot interest China zinc market subdued by lack of arbitrage o...Read More
Hot-rolled coil prices in the United States stayed mostly flat while market participants questioned the sticking power of a second wave of price increases by domestic flat steel mills.Fastmarkets' daily steel hot-rolled coil index, fob mill US was calculated at $24.82 per hundredweight ($496.40 per short ton) on Wednesday May 27; that price is nearly flat from $24.72 per cwt, where the index stood...Read More
Turkey has told the World Trade Organization (WTO) that it is planning to impose import duties on certain steel products from the European Union.On Monday May 25, Turkey informed the WTO that it plans to impose an additional duty of 9-17% on steel product imports from EU. The products to be affected are hot-rolled flat steel under HS code 7208, cold-rolled flat steel under HS code 7...Read More
Domestic prices for steel rebar in the south of Europe declined week over week on slow buying and oversupply, while in the north of the region prices were largely unchanged, sources told Fastmarkets on Wednesday May 27.Fastmarkets' weekly price assessment for steel reinforcing bar (rebar), domestic, delivered Southern Europe was ?,?410-440 ($450-483) per tonne on May 27, down by ?,?5 per tonne wee...Read More
European steelmakers will attempt to increase domestic prices for hot-rolled coil despite poor demand, sources told Fastmarkets on Wednesday May 27.Fastmarkets' daily steel hot-rolled coil index, domestic, exw Northern Europe, was unchanged day on day at ?,?407.50 ($446.38) per tonne ex-works on May 27.Wednesday's index was calculated based on "workable" prices heard at ?,?400-410 per tonne ex-wor...Read More
The price for steel H-beams in Southern Europe inched downward on Wednesday May 27 with producers unable to maintain their previous offer prices despite rising feedstock costs in the region, sources told Fastmarkets.Fastmarkets' weekly price assessment for steel beams, domestic, delivered Northern Europe, was ?,?530-550 ($581-602) per tonne on Wednesday, unchanged week on week."It's still not busy...Read More
The Turkish deep-sea scrap import market was quiet on Wednesday May 27, with market participants returning after a four-day lockdown, sources told Fastmarkets.The whole country was under lockdown to prevent the further spread of the Covid-19 virus during the Eid al-Fitr celebrations - which are held to mark the end of Ramadan and took place between the night of Friday May 22 and the...Read More
Seaborne premium hard coking coal prices dropped further on Wednesday May 27 after buyers heard lower offers from traders.Fastmarkets indicesPremium hard coking coal, fob DBCT: $114.30 per tonne, down $1.06 per tonne Premium hard coking coal, cfr Jingtang: $121.70 per tonne, down $2.67 per tonneHard coking coal, fob DBCT: $91.31 per tonne, up $0.58 per tonneHard coking coal, cfr Jin...Read More